Effects of Body Position on the Outcome of Pulmonary Function Tests in Non-Mechanically Ventilated Adults: A Brief Review

Abstract

Background:The most important focus of pulmonary physical therapy has been to improve pulmonary function. Studies have indicated that body position affects pulmonary function. Pulmonary Function Tests are a group of tests that are routinely performed to objectively assess lung volumes and capacities and are commonly performed in sitting position. However, positions other than sitting have to be considered in certain disease conditions when the patient may not be able to attain sitting posture. The result may provide objective data regarding positions suitable for pulmonary function measurements. Methodology:A search to identify articles from the last five years from the period January 2015-January 2020 was conducted using free access search engines Medline, Pubmed and Google Scholar. Search was undertaken using both, key words and MeSH words for maximal retrieval of literature. Some older articles relevant to the topic were also included in this study. Conclusion:The effect of sitting and lying positions on pulmonary function tests vary across study populations which makes it difficult to establish an optimal position for performing pulmonary function tests. However, supine lying position may be considered in those disease conditions where adopting a sitting position may not be possible for the subject.